Rajeev's World: The Soul Of Seoul... Part II

From the Gyeongbokgung Palace, I proceeded to Insadong, a very touristy quarter of Seoul.

It was a beautiful and bright afternoon...

...unlike yesterday!

Koreans, it appears, love to talk a lot. They don't even pause when they cross the road!

A convenience store, CU, is as ubiquitous here as 7-Eleven's are in Hong Kong...

Another cafe...

Insadong to the right...

Getting into Insadong!

Insadong is a dong, or neighborhood of the Jongno-gu district of Seoul. It derives its name from names of two towns - their names ended in the syllables "In" and "Sa". These towns were divided by a stream which ran along Insadong's current main street...

500 years ago, the Insadong area housed residences for government officials...

During the Japanese occupation, the wealthy Korean residents were forced sell their belongings here, making Insadong an area of trading in antiques. After the end of the Korean War, in the 1950s, the area became a focus of South Korea's artistic and cafe life. Insadong gained in popularity with international tourists during the 1988 Seoul Olympics...

An Indian restaurant...

"Have fun"

Insadong is bustling with acivity...

Cafe Little India...

Indians are everywhere, ambassadors of our soft power. That reminds me of someone saying jocularly - you find NRIs all over the world except two countries - Pakistan and North Korea!

And Indian cuisine is a potent weapon in our soft power...